The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-05-06

rlRuG 20 plAce you III jeopardy. III
case OF discovery q rope ladder upon
you would prove your guilt; you
would be seized and disposed OF, none
would know how, except the head
man. Your crime and mine are pun
ishable by death. My life is nothing,
nor would be missed, but you have
loved ones at home. Should you
change your mind on the night
appointed, God have mercy upon
mel l will not live to see the
light another day. have often medi.
tated this act. have felt that God,
to whom always prayed, would de-
liver me, and that fwould be allowed
to thank him in his sanctuary. Ii
you do not find the cord, you may
know that have been betrayed. Ii
all is safe, the cord will be weighted
with O silken purse containing jewels
to reward you and to assist me in my
escape. Should you not find this
token, it will be because ! have been
discovered. Then be on your guard
against assassination. shall not
look for you until the hour named"
My friend, Captain H, had fall
en- most desperately in love. ! say
desperately, because he neither slept,
ate, nor drank; nor would he
give me any rest. 1t was reassur-
ing to me to see O. fellow SO far gone;
had thought myself the only one who
could be so "cracked." He was al
ways at my heels and had become my
shadow. learned his whole history.
The cause OF his going to sea was the
removal OF a fiaxen-haired. blue.eyed
schoolmate who had been his beloved
little friend from his earliest memory.
Her parents had moved to Moscow,
and thence, as he was informed, to
Odessa, from which port he had last
sailed. with a cargo OF grain from
Falmouth for orders. At Odessa he
made themost searching inquiries, and
learned that q family of thesame name
had gone to Alexandria about six
years previous. He had been, until
our present adventure, remarkably
quiet and difiident. He had told me
that his diffidence arose from the fact
he WAS almost Il woman-hater, and
that he never expected to be happy
until he found his early love, whom
he last saw when she was eleven and
ne twelve years OF age. His interest
in the fair captive was doubtless
aroused by the fact that she strongly
resembled his early love.
The event!ul night arrived. Igave
q supper at the hotel to allay any sus-
picion. Supper was ordered for TWEEN.
ty, and was served at eleven O'Clock,
which meant an all night spree.
Wine flowed freely, and had it's ef-
feet upon our friends. At l2 O'Clock,
by a preconcerted arrangement, q note
was handed to mo by aservant. Ipre-
tended that 1t had been sent by my
second officer and that it announced
that my chief officer had killed one of
the crew. kpologizing for my sudden
departure, / promised to return as
soon as possible. and finish the night.
My friend, Captain Il insisted up
on going with me. ! protested, but
he was obstinate, and finally as the
company insisted that it was not safe
to 60 alone, we two separated in COM
pany.
We arrived at the gate in our usual
apparently drunken condition, feed
the guard literally and pass
ed through. A few minutes
later we returned and had our cigars
and lanterns lighted, pretending that
the latter had been put out ac-
cidentally. They were so ready in as.
sisting US that we gave them another
handful OF piasters, and made them
understand that they were not to al
low any one to follow lis. They
earnestly promised ana we started
again, our hearts almost bursting
with rapid pulsation. We found the
cord; purse was at the end of it,.
So far all was safe.
Running to the further gate as
quickly as possible, we repeated our
former strategy Of bribes, and the
guards there promised that while we
were in the street nobody should pass
them. Thus we had the field to our
selves, with gaurds on either hand to
protect us from interference.
We returned to the spot where the
purse lay. It was readily discovered
by reason ofits brilliancy, being work
ed in gold and silver threj 'stout
cord was attached to I. pulled
gently upon the cord, and i. down
" it0uel llldl6 VI SILK.
The night was dark, not a star visi-
BILE. Thus far everything favored us.
We put strain upon the ladder with
both our weights, to keepitfrom sway
ing. whom suddenly we felt heavy
burden upon it, and in an instant a
man in a white tunic sprang from the
ladder and seized me by both arms,
something ] could not un.
derstand. Letting 60 his iron grip
upon me, he took the captain in the
same manner. Then he sprang up
the ladder and disappeared.
We were SO taken by surprise that
we could not have defended ourselves
if occasion required it. Treachery or
not we did not know, but we stood at
our post. Presently we felt by the
strain upon the rope that some one
was again descending. This time it
was the lady herself. She sprans
lightly to the ground, and a moment
later came the man who had before
descended. He WIS her faithful slave.
He fell on his knees, begeingto be tax
en- with us. But this was impossible.
He was to be relieved by another
guard at o'clock, and his absence
would have caused the discovery ofthe
escape. She advised hlm to return, close
the window, and let 60 the rope. She
would not be missed until noon, when
It would be impossible to know dur
ing whosa watch she had made her
escape. 1t might be supposed that
she fad committed suicide, as she had
frequently threatened to do, and
might have done by throwing herself
into the Bosphorus through trap in
the floor Of a boat-house near by.
She did not speak nor evince any
terror, but trusted as entirely. AS
VIC heard footsteps rapidly approach
ing, and feared pursuit or msstins
with street marauders, we nst no
time in reaching the gate. The
word "American" had q charm
for them, especially as it
was followed by q handful OF piasters
thrown at them when the gate was
opened. Ipresnme they imagined we
did it in our drunken fun, but 1t was
really to draw their attention from
our companion. Alter we had passed
through / locked the gate and threw
away the key. The guards were
too busy picking up the money to
heed a laundering at the gate
oftor WIG t,GS onpe Wa did